Harl Pease Jr. (April 10, 1917 – October 8, 1942) was a United States Army Air Corps officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest award, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during World War II. He was the namesake for Pease Air Force Base, now Pease Air National Guard Base. Biography Pease was born and raised in Plymouth, New Hampshire, and graduated from Tilton School, a college-preparatory school. He then attended the University of New Hampshire, where he became a brother of Theta Chi fraternity. In 1939, he graduated with a degree in business administration and enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in June 1940 and awarded pilot rating upon completion of flight training at Kelly Field, Texas. Pease was assigned to the 19th Bombardment Group (19th BG) as a B-17 pilot at Albuquerque Army Air Base, and in October 1941 flew with the group to Clark Field in the Philippines. As part of the Far East Air Force, Pease was present at Clark Field when it was bombed by Japanese aircraft on December 8, 1941, flew missions in defense of the Philippines, and evacuated with the group to Darwin, Northern Territory, on December 20, 1941. Pease continued to fly missions with the group in defense of Java until the end of February 1942. As the Japanese advanced in the Philippines, Pease was ordered to lead three B-17s of the 19th BG to Del Monte Field on Mindanao to evacuate General Douglas MacArthur, along with the general's family and staff, to Australia. One of the battered planes was forced to abort early, while another developed engine trouble and crashed south of Del Monte. Pease landed his Fortress safely, despite its inoperative wheel brakes. MacArthur was shocked at the sight of Pease's aircraft, upon which the ground crews of the undersupplied 19th BG had used cut-up ration cans to patch bullet holes, as well as Pease himself, whom MacArthur described as a "child". MacArthur flatly refused to place his wife and son aboard Pease's B-17 and instead waited for another plane to arrive two days later. In May, from a base near Townsville, Queensland, the 19th BG supported naval carrier aircraft in the Battle of the Coral Sea, and bombed targets on the north coast of New Guinea, 16–18 hour missions that necessitated staging through Port Moresby. During the first